


Five Things That Will Always Get Peter in Trouble

by TheDisneyOutsider



Series: Iron Dad and His Spider-Son [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: 5+1, Co-Parenting, Decision Making, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Messing with Tech, Peter Parker's self-deprecating jar, Self-Deprecating, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, tony teaches peter lots of lessons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:42:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24744778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDisneyOutsider/pseuds/TheDisneyOutsider
Summary: ...and the one thing that never will
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Iron Dad and His Spider-Son [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1796242
Comments: 40
Kudos: 372





	1. Decision Making

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic in this universe! I've read tons of irondad and spider-son works and I'm a bit nervous to live up to the awesome writer's already on here, so please let me know if you like it!
> 
> I have all six chapters prewritten, so I will probably post a chapter a day, but I won't make any promises in case life gets busy!
> 
> Enjoy!

Peter suppressed a yawn and blinked his eyes rapidly a few times. He was working at his own personal desk in Tony's private lab where the boys had been tinkering for the better half of the day.

It was Saturday, Peter's absolute favourite day of the week because it usually played out just like this one. He would sleepover Friday night, Happy picking him up right after school and taking him to the tower. They would stay up late, either working in the lab or watching movies, sometimes training in the gym if a few of the Avengers were also at the tower. They would always go to bed way too late, wake up the next day, missing breakfast by a long shot, and working together to pull together an early lunch. Then they would lazily make their way back down to the lab and do it all over again. It was their routine, and Peter loved it.

It was starting to get late, however, and Peter always had a harder time hiding the fatigue than his mentor. It wasn't until the third concealed yawn that Tony spoke up.

"Okay Kid, how about we call it a night and head upstairs for some food and a movie?"

"You sure Mr. Stark? We haven't even finished the coding for this upgrade yet."

"I'm sure that if I let you finish that right now you'll most definitely end up shooting water instead of webs at the next bad guy you face. You're too tired."

"I'm only moderately tired. Besides, I'm more hungry than anything," he pointed out, and if on cue his stomach let out a loud growl.

"Well then, I think that’s my cue to get the Spider-Kid some food."

They cleaned up quickly and were soon settling down back in the penthouse. Peter instantly flopped on the couch, grabbing the remote on his way down. The penthouse couch was comfy, even comfier than his bed in the room at his apartment. How any couch could be comfier than a bed was crazy to Peter, but it was true. Money may not buy happiness, but it sure bought comfy couches!

"Okay, Kid, movie and dinner. What are you hungry for?" Tony questioned, returning to the room after changing out of his stained clothes.

Peter shrugged automatically, "I don't care."

"You have no opinion on what you're hungry for?"

"Anything's fine."

"You know that drives me crazy, Pete! You need to make a decision one of these days!" The man knocked the boy’s feet off the couch, so he could sit down too.

"I don't know why you always get mad at me for not making decisions! By not choosing, you get to choose what you want. That should make you happy!"

Tony shook his head, this kid was really something else. "Maybe I prefer seeing you happy, besides you usually have pretty good taste, Spider-Kid."

"Well I don't know what I want, so you pick."

Tony sighed. He knew the kid only did this because he didn't want to pick something he thought Tony wouldn't want. The man had been trying for weeks to get him to be more assertive when it came to decision-making, but so far, no dice.

Watching thoughtfully as the kid scrolled through their movie selections an idea suddenly sprung to his mind, and he grinned to himself.

"Okay Kid, if you won't make a decision then as you wish I'll choose. I'm going to go order, you get the movie prepped."

"Sure Mr. Stark," Peter agreed absentmindedly, still focused on reading the movie descriptions.

After placing his order with FRIDAY, Tony joined him on the couch, "Pick a movie yet?"

"I don't know, there's too many to choose from. You pick."

Tony shot him a sideways glance, letting out an airy laugh in disbelief.

"Seriously, Kid?"

The boy shrugged, "You've got like a million choices and I like anything."

"Fine," Tony sighed, accepting the remote from Peter's outstretched hand. "I watched a fascinating documentary the other day called _Food Inc._ , shows us all about how our food is made. That sound good?"

Another shrug from the younger, "Sure, sounds interesting."

"Great. FRIDAY? Queue it up for us darling?"

"Certainly, Boss."

Twenty minutes into the movie Peter was already looking a little green, so when FRIDAY informed them that the food was waiting downstairs, the boy eagerly offered to go down and retrieve it.

"I'll pause it while you're gone,” Tony offered, schooling his amused features.

"NO, I mean, it's fine, I can catch up. I'll be quick anyway."

He was out the door before Tony could respond. 

Only when the door was closed firmly did the man allow himself to crack a smile and shake his head, wondering in the back of his mind if what he was doing was cruel and unusual punishment.

Ten minutes later, Peter re-entered the penthouse, frowning down at the bag in his hand. "The food smells funny, Mr. Stark, what did you order?"

"Just sandwiches from the deli down the street."

"Oh," Peter smiled, "I love that place! Their turkey foot longs are the best!"

"Gee," Tony got up, following Peter to the kitchen to dish out their plates, "I wish I had known before I ordered. I just got you what I always get. Their tuna melts are amazing, I'm sure you'll love it just as much."

"Tuna?" Peter went a little green again, and Tony really was starting to feel bad now.

"Yeah? Something wrong?"

"Oh, um, no... sounds good. I love mushy, wet, fish." He muttered and Tony was pretty sure he wasn't meant to hear that last part.

"Great! Well grab a plate and dig in!" He exclaimed, opening the cupboard and retrieving potato chips for them as well. Hey, he wasn't a monster!

Carrying their plates back to the couch, Tony started the movie again and began to eat. He watched the kid from the corner of his eye, picking timidly at his chips, sandwich untouched.

He left him another five minutes before deciding to put the kid out of his misery.

"You don't like the sandwich, Bud?"

"What? Oh, no it's--" 

"Disgusting?" Tony broke in with a smirk.

Peter sighed, "I just don't really like tuna is all. It's fine, really, Mr. Stark. I had a big lunch anyway."

"Maybe next time you'll listen to me and make the choice yourself, huh?"

Peter's mouth fell open, "You mean you did this on purpose?"

"Pete, when I ask you to make a choice, I don't secretly want you to let me pick. It means I want you to eat what you like! Or watch what you like."

"You chose that disgusting movie on purpose too!?"

"You need to make choices! It's not right to always put other people's needs ahead of your own."

"I'll have you know, thanks to you I'll probably never eat a burger again! That movie scarred me for life!"

Tony barked out a laugh, "Next time just choose Star Wars like we both know you want, and we won't have this issue."

"Fine! I got your point, Meanie!" Peter exclaimed, though there was no real heat behind his words.

Tony smiled, slinging his arm around the kid's shoulders and pulling him in, "If I'm a meanie then I guess I should cancel that pizza that's on its way here for you."

"Really!?" The boy twisted his head to look his mentor in the eye.

"Don't worry, Happy's downstairs, I'm sure he could use a late-night snack."

"Fiiine, you're not mean... Did you get extra pepperoni?"

"I wasn't born yesterday, kid," he rolled his eyes dramatically.

An hour later, the two were pushed up next to each other on the couch, Star Wars music playing in the background and an empty pizza carton on the coffee table.

"You know Tony, cookie dough ice cream tastes really good after pizza."

"Do I actually hear Peter Benjamin Parker making a decision about our dessert!?"

"Toooony."

"Oh go get it you menace, extra chocolate fudge on mine!"

"And marshmallows!"

The man shook his head fondly, as he watched his kid run out of the room.


	2. Messing With Tech

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter just wanted to help his friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not hack things, therefore my hacking knowledge is limited, just go with it, okay? :)

“Oh no, another pop quiz...” Ned grumbled as he and Peter entered their English classroom. It was a month into the new term and the boys had learned pretty fast that their new teacher’s favourite teaching tool was the pop quiz. He had explained during the first week that in a subject heavily reliant on reading as the homework assignment, it was his way of making sure all the students followed through and weren’t getting behind on any of the reading material.

Peter could understand where he was coming from. He himself had been known to wait until the very last day and binge read their assigned book all in one night. The new system kept him accountable and save for one or two later than expected nights of patrol, Peter was much better at keeping up with his reading.

Ned, on the other hand, Peter had learned, did not benefit quite as much from it. His best friend was much better about getting homework done than Peter was, he was always on top of every assignment, however, he seemed to choke when a surprise test was thrust upon him and therefore his grade in the class was starting to fall greatly.

“Don’t worry man. Remember, you know this material. You read the chapters last night. Your brain is just setting you up for disaster.”

He had been reassuring his friend for weeks now, even though his words never seemed to help. Peter could already see the bead of sweat forming on the other boy’s forehead.

“It doesn’t matter, I’m going to bomb it, just like all the others.”

Peter sighed, sitting down at his desk just as the bell rang and the teacher started to address the class. He wished he could do something to help his best friend. God knows Ned was always there for him, whether it be as Peter Parker’s best friend or Spider-Man’s Guy in the Chair. Ned was amazing at getting Peter any information he needed to know when he was out as Spider-Man. It was too bad he couldn’t do the same for himself and figure out their teacher’s schedule for all the surprise tests. Ned was too nervous to try hacking anything school-related, however. Not to mention he would most likely need to physically use the teacher’s own laptop to hack into the files.

Suddenly Peter remembered how Tony had hacked into the school system from the comfort of his own penthouse when Peter was sick, May was overworked and Tony had yet to be added to the emergency contact list. But he was Tony Stark. He also had the help of a multi-million dollar AI system in his back pocket. Ned would most likely never have that... but Peter did. An excited bubble rose up in Peter. Maybe he had an idea after all.

“That was horrible. The worst one yet,” Ned complained as they were heading to lunch. The gears in Peter’s head were still going a mile a minute. “He shouldn’t be allowed to quiz us without telling us beforehand!”

“Hey, Ned? I’ll be right back, okay?”

Peter rushed out of the cafeteria they had just entered and made his way to the bathroom on the other end of the building. He nervously checked under each stall, making sure he was alone, before entering the furthest one, locking himself in and pulling open his backpack.

In one swift motion, he pulled out his Spider-Man mask and shoved it onto his head. Instantly he was greeted by the calming voice of Karen.

“Good afternoon, Peter. Shouldn’t you be eating lunch right now?”

“Yeah Karen, I will, I just have a quick question for you.”

“What can I do for you?”

Peter licked his lips nervously, knowing that what he was doing wasn’t right, per se, but Ned was his best friend and if he could help him, then he would. “What do you know about my teacher, Mr. Meyers?”

“Mr. Andrew Meyers. Forty-two years old. Parents Frank and Marie Meyers. Married. No children. Teacher’s degree from the University of Connecticut. Currently, working at Midtown School of Science and Technology. Would you like me to go on Peter?”

“No Karen, that’s good, just-- Do you think you could get into his monthly planner on the teacher’s resource website?”

“I can, though I must discourage it, Peter, students aren’t permitted access to this particular information.”

“I know, Karen, but it’s super important. Please?”

Peter could have sworn he heard the AI sigh before giving affirmation, “Very well.”

Ned was still sitting in the cafeteria when Peter returned. With a huge grin, he slapped a piece of paper down in front of the other boy.

“September 29h, October 3rd, October 6th, October 12th? What are these?” Ned questioned confused.

“Pop quiz dates for the next two weeks,” Peter whispered, so he was sure only his friend would hear.

“Are you serious!?” Ned spoke just a little too loudly.

“Shhh!” Both boys threw guilty looks over their shoulders and exhaled when they realized nobody was paying any attention to them.

“How did you get these?”

Peter shrugged a bit guiltily, “Karen.”

“Dude! Why didn’t we think of that before!? This is awesome! You’re officially my ‘Guy in the Chair’!”

“Just, keep it on the down-low, okay?” He murmured back, still feeling a bit anxious about what he had done.

“Totally. Not saying a word.” The boy made the motion of zipping his lips and locking it with a key.

“K, good.” Peter sighed and tried his best to relax.

Ned was still practically vibrating with excitement when Peter said goodbye to him later that day and got into Happy’s awaiting car to drive towards the tower.

He was greeted by Tony as soon as he entered the lab. “Hey Kiddo, good day?”

“It was fine,” Peter shrugged, “What are we working on?”

“Homework first,” Tony gave him a look and Peter rolled his eyes good naturally.

“I knoooow, I just meant after that?”

“I’ve been working on some things for the new SI phone, but I thought we could continue on the coding for that suit upgrade once you’re done. Sound good?”

“Yeah! I worked out a few substitutions that I think might help it run smoother.”

“Perfect. Get to it then. I’ve got FRIDAY ordering our pizzas for eight, we’ve got a lot of work to do before then.”

Peter nodded, pulling out his books from his backpack and setting them up at his desk, ready to make quick work of the small number of assignments he had.

“Hey, were you in the suit today?”

“Huh?” Peter swung around at the unexpected question, “What do you mean?”

“I got a blip on my screen that the suit was active today at twelve thirty-two. That’s your lunch hour, isn’t it? Did you web up a lunch money thief or something?” The man’s voice was light and joking, yet Peter could still feel the panic rising.

“Oh, no, no nothing like that. I just needed to ask Karen something. It’s not important, just a question about my patrol last night, don’t worry about it.”

Tony’s eyes narrowed, “You didn’t patrol last night, unless you had your Guy in the Chair disable the tracker again, in which case you and I will be having a serious talk, kid.”

“No! I didn’t. Seriously, Tony, I swear.” The boy insisted with a frantic wave of his hands. “I guess I meant the night before. Maybe I’m really not getting enough sleep, my days are running together.”

The man continued to stare at him suspiciously, but he eventually nodded and Peter let out a heavy breath. “I’m sending you home nice and early tonight, you need your sleep, Kiddo. Remember do as I say, yada yada,” he trailed off.

“I will,” Peter promised, and he was relieved when that was the end of their conversation on the subject.

Tony did end up sending him home early that night, and in turn, he was actually up before his alarm went off the next morning. He met Ned at Delmar’s for a breakfast sandwich before heading to school.

Peter made it to his locker and opened it robotically. He was reaching down to get something out of his backpack when the metal door slammed shut in his face.

_Flash_ , Peter thought with a sigh. It was too early in the morning.

“So Penis, pretty ballsy of you to get those quiz dates from Meyers. How’d you do it?”

Peter went cold, “Wh- what are you talking about?”

“Oh quit the innocent act, Parker, Chubs already sold you out. So tell me how you did it or I might have to ask Teach himself.”

“You wouldn’t do that, you want those dates just as bad as the rest of the class,” Peter stammered out before pushing past Flash in search of his blabbermouth friend.

“ _Ned_ ,” he hissed when he finally approached him, “What did you do!?”

“What?” his friend stood dumbfounded.

“ _Flash,_ knows about the quiz dates, who did you tell?”

Ned’s mouth hung open a second, “Well- I didn’t mean to, Peter, honest! My family was being loud, so I went to the library after school to work on that history paper and James was there. He was all stressed out because he thought Mr. Meyers would hit us with a quiz two days in a row... so I just calmed him down, y’know? If you’d have seen him, you would have done the same, trust me.”

“Yeah?” Peter asked in annoyance, “Well now the whole class seems to be in on our little secret, and they all know it was _me_ who found out.”

“Okay, okay, okay, just calm down. Why would anyone tell Mr. Meyers on you? You did us all a favour! Nobody’s going to rat you out. Even Flash knows he needs those dates.”

Peter sighed, making their way toward the classroom, “Maybe you’re right, but if something slips--”

“It won’t Peter, just chill.”

In his classmates’ defense, it took several days for it to happen, which is more than Peter expected out of any of them.

He was sitting at his desk, twiddling his pencil and awaiting the expected quiz, like the rest of his classmates seemed to be doing. There was an air of calm in the room and Peter felt a little proud for creating it.

He felt so good, in fact, that he almost didn’t hear Betty Brant head to the front of the room to quietly ask the teacher a question. Thanks to super hearing, however, he did hear it, and he was sure at that moment all the blood drained from his face.

“Excuse me, Mr. Meyers, for the quiz today, could you tell me if chapters four and five will be covered as well because I had a few questions...”

The world stood still. Peter gulped back the lump forming in his throat, and he felt a cold sweat starting as Betty was escorted out with a confused look. “Can we speak in the hallway Miss Brant,” was the last thing Peter heard before tuning out the conversation.

This was bad, this was very bad. He was dead. Seriously, this was the last time he ever helped his friend with anything, not only because the boy couldn’t keep his mouth shut, but also because Peter was dead anyway. Who could he help from beyond the grave?

It felt like hours before Betty was guided back into the classroom and sent to her seat with a guilty look etched on her face. A glance towards Peter as she sat down pushed any amount of hope out of his mind.

“I’ve been informed that our surprise quizzes are no longer much of a surprise,” the teacher spoke, clearing his throat.

Ned’s eyes shot to Peter’s and his friend shot him an apologetic look.

“I will be having a discussion with this entire class, but for now I want everyone to open their books and read in _silence._ Mr. Parker would you please follow me?”

There it was. The nail in the coffin. This was his execution.

* * *

Tony was having a very productive morning until FRIDAY interrupted him with an urgent call that he was informed could not wait. Thirty minutes later he was pulling into Peter’s high school. He didn’t know exactly what he was feeling because he didn’t truly understand what was going on. Something about Peter breaking into private property? It sure didn’t sound like his kid. With May unreachable, helping with surgery that afternoon, Tony promised the school that he would be there as soon as possible.

It wasn’t the first time Tony had been in the building. A month prior, he was walking down the very same hallway when he had gotten a call that Peter had thrown up during gym class and needed to be taken home. Tony had been worried then, a sick, superhuman child wasn’t a normal occurrence. This wasn’t a normal occurrence either, but this time Tony just felt confused.

He saw Peter right away, sitting along a row of plastic chairs that lined the wall outside the office. The kid’s eyes got wide when they locked with Tony’s.

“Wh- why are you here?” he stuttered out.

“Huh, you don’t sound all that excited to see me.”

“I just, May, and I mean--”

Tony held up his hand to silence the word vomit, “May’s held up all day, so you get me, now are you going to tell me what’s going on or not?”

“I—”

“Mr. Stark, thank you for coming so quickly. I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t sure you would,” Principal Morita held out his hand and Tony shook it.

“Well, when it comes to Peter, I like to be as involved as possible.”

“That’s very admirable of you,” Morita praised, “If you too would just step into my office, we can get this sorted.”

* * *

“A WEEK, how can they suspend me for a week for that? It’s not like I told everyone the questions or answers.” Peter huffed, throwing himself into the passenger seat of Tony’s Audi, “May’s going to kill me.”

“Not if I kill you first,” his mentor threw him a hard glare, turning on the car. “Are you serious, Kid? You know they could charge you for going through someone’s private laptop? You’re lucky I talked them down.”

“It’s not even like I actually did that I—” Peter paused, realizing he just outed himself.

“Go on Kid, you think I didn’t know you had help? I knew that you using the suit last week wasn’t a mistake.”

“I told you I asked Karen a question, I didn’t lie!”

“And you thought it was a completely innocent question? Using Karen to help you cheat is not why I made her for you.”

“You use FRIDAY to sneak into stuff all the time!” Peter couldn’t help but point out.

“I use FRIDAY to keep myself and my family safe, there’s a difference and you know it, kid.”

Peter huffed, “Are you taking the suit?”

“No I’m not. Karen is there to keep you safe too. But I am going to do some upgrades on her so you won’t be able to do something like this again. I swear Kid, how many times do I have to tell you not to mess with the tech I give you?”

“I didn’t mess with her! I didn’t touch the coding or anything, I just asked her a question,” Peter folded his arms over his chest.

“You used her irresponsibly. You knew it before you did it, and yet here we are.”

The car got quiet, the only sound being the low music playing almost inaudibly between them.

“I’m sorry,” the boy finally spoke quietly. “I was just trying to help Ned and it got completely out of hand.”

Tony’s face softened when he glanced over at the boy, “I admire you for trying to help a friend. I expect nothing less out of you, Bud. Just, next time try and keep yourself out of trouble in the process, okay?”

“I will. I really am sorry, Tony,” Peter shot his mentor an apologetic look, though to Tony it looked more like a kicked puppy dog.

And there went all of his frustration. The kid really had him wrapped around his little finger.

He shook his head, “You’re forgiven. Though I can’t keep you safe from May’s wrath. You’re going to have to deal with that one on your own!”

Peter whined, “Nooo Tooony, you and Pepper need a kid. Adopt me! We can move to Alaska and May will never find us!”

Tony chuckled, ruffling the kid’s hair, “We already got ourselves a kid.”

And as the boy pouted out the window, Tony knew it was true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! Please leave a comment if you have the time so I know this isn't terrible. (I have a chapter on self-deprecating coming up in a few chapters, so yes I'm being a hypocrite right now 😜)


	3. Disrespecting Aunt May

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and May have a fight. Tony helps to enlighten his young mentee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first thing I wrote for this fic and the longest chapter! Enjoy!!

"Pete?"

  
  


"Hey Mr. Stark," a subdued Peter said with a forced smile as he exited the elevator.

  
  


"It's almost midnight kid, aren't spider-babies supposed to be in bed by now?"

  
  


Peter rolled his eyes, "It's the weekend and as much as you like to call me a baby every chance you get, you do know I'm fifteen, right?"

  
  


"Okay, well even fifteen-year-olds are usually in their homes at this time of night. What are you doing swinging all the way to the tower?"

  
  


Peter allowed himself to enter further into the familiar living room, a tired expression on his face. "I was hoping I could spend the weekend here, with you, I mean, if that's alright, and you're not busy or anything, I know we didn't make plans this weekend, and I could totally go to Ned's or--"

  
  


"It's fine, kid, of course, but dare I asked why? Where's May? She usually texts me if she's going to be away. Somebody's got to watch out for the spider-bab- uh kid if she can't."

  
  


Pete shot his mentor an annoyed look, before it was washed away by a hint of guilt, "We got into a fight, and I'd really rather not talk about it if you don't mind."

  
  


Tony sighed, he knew he'd be calling May as soon as he sent the kid to bed, so instead, he asked the most important question, "Does she at least know you're here?"

  
  


The kid gave a short nod, hugging himself around the middle, "I left a note while she was in the shower."

  
  


At least the woman wouldn't be sick with worry. Tony would definitely be needing to make that call, though. "Ok, go get in bed, it's late. We'll talk about this more tomorrow."

  
  


Relief washed over the boy's tired features as he nodded his head and started towards the bedrooms.

  
  


"Goodnight, Tony."

  
  


"Night, kiddo."

  
  


When he heard the soft click of Peter's bedroom door, he collapsed onto the couch. So much for a peaceful evening. Sighing, he picked up his phone and dialed the familiar number.

  
  


It only took half a ring for the frantic aunt to answer the call. "Please tell me our kid's with you?"

  
  


"He's here, he's fine. I sent him to bed."

  
  


He could hear the relief wash over her voice. "Good, he said that's where he was going, but he was so frustrated you never know."

  
  


"What's going on May? Kid wouldn't talk."

  
  


She took a sip of what he presumed was tea before sighing, "We had an argument. I swear he's a great kid, but he can be a little devil when he wants to be."

  
  


"What did he do?" Tony knew her statement was true. As sweet and nurturing as the boy was, he could be quite bullheaded.

  
  


"What didn't he do more like. I asked him to do his chores before going on patrol, he's been slacking lately, which I get, between school and Spider-Man, he's busy, but he needs to learn there's more to life. I come home, his room’s still a mess, laundry everywhere, dishes in the sink and no Peter in sight."

  
  


"Not good."

  
  


"No, not at all. His curfew was ten tonight, so I wait him out, however, ten comes and goes and still no Pete. That kid doesn't drag his spider-butt home until after eleven! I lost it, Tony. I was exhausted and have to be up early tomorrow, and he thinks it's no big deal."

  
  


"Sounds like the kid needs an attitude adjustment," Tony supplied, sharing May's frustration.

  
  


"Yeah, well I told him no Spider-Man for a week, and by the time I got out of the shower he was gone."

  
  


"I'm sorry, May. If I had known I would have driven him right back to you."

  
  


"No, no. Thank you for being there for him. I think maybe it's a good thing for us both to have a cooling-off period."

  
  


An idea suddenly struck Tony, his lip curling at the thought, "Hey May, if you're okay with letting him stay the weekend I think I might have just the plan to remind the kid how good he's got it."

  
  


May let out a low chuckle, "If you think you can crack through that stubborn head of his, be my guest!"

  
  


Tony smirked into the phone, “Don’t worry if all goes to plan I may even be dropping you off one apologetic nephew as soon as tomorrow night. Get some rest, I’ll take care of it.”

  
  


“Thank you, Tony, you don’t know how much I appreciate you being there for him, for us.”

  
  


“You know I’d do anything for that kid. Goodnight May.”

  
  


“Goodnight Tony.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


It was early the next morning when Tony put his plan to action.

  
  


"Hey kid, glad you're up, I could really use your help today!" he announced when he spotted the teen, bowl of cereal in front of him.

  
  


An eager smile crept across the teen’s face and the man had to hide his smirk.

  
  


"Sure, what are we working on?"

  
  


Tony grabbed an apple from the fridge and shook his head, "Actually, I'm going to be pretty busy today. Got an accords meeting and then some paperwork that Pepper's been on me about for weeks."

  
  


The boy's shoulders slumped considerably as he continued. "I was hoping though that you could do a few things for me while I'm busy."

  
  


"Sure, Tony, of course."

  
  


"Great! So I've got a bag of laundry sitting in the hall over there that I really need to get done, do you think you could handle that, kid?"

  
  


Peter stood, dumbfounded, as he processed his mentor's words, "Wha- you... you want me to do your laundry?"

  
  


"I would really appreciate it, kiddo."

  
  


"Uhm, o-ok, ya, I guess I could do that."

  
  


"Perfect, I owe you one, Pete!" With that Tony quickly exited through the elevator, and Peter was left extremely confused. Did Tony Stark really just ask him to wash his underwear?

  
  


* * *

  
  


It was noon by the time Tony reappeared in the kitchen of the penthouse. Peter had finished his task twenty minutes prior, successfully avoiding turning any of Mr. Stark's clothing pink, and folding them neatly on the man's bed. Thrilled to be finished, he decided to reward himself with a grilled cheese sandwich and a Coke.

  
  


Tony eyed the sandwich as soon as he entered, "Looks good! You mind making me one?"

  
  


Peter's stomach growled hungrily, but he pushed the plate towards where the man had sat down, "You have this one, I'll make another."

  
  


"Thanks, Pete!"

  
  


Peter just nodded, taking out the bread once again to make himself another.

  
  


"You get the laundry done?"

  
  


"Yeah," Peter nodded, "I was thinking we could work on the robot prototype after lunch."

  
  


The eagerness in the boy's eyes pained Tony, but he had to stay strong, he needed this lesson to stick. "Sorry kiddo, no can do, I haven't even started that paperwork yet. Actually," Tony snapped his fingers indicating he had an idea, "Since you're just hanging out, do you think you could tidy up the kitchen and living room a bit? I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to clean up from last night’s team dinner. As you can see things got a little out of hand."

  
  


The boy's eyes scanned the living room, noticing the dirty plates, empty cans, and chip crumbs littered throughout. Not to mention the pile of dishes resting in the sink.

  
  


"I'll say," the teen agreed with a slight pout.

  
  


"If you could tidy up while I get my work done we can have a movie night later," the man offered, ignoring the kid's slumped shoulders.

  
  


"Yeah, I- I mean sure Tony, no problem if that's what you need."

  
  


"You're a lifesaver, thanks, Pete! I better head out, paperwork isn't going to do itself!" He announced, flashing one of his winning smiles.

  
  


Peter waved after him, turning to the mess with a sigh after he was gone. This was most definitely not how he pictured spending his day. He dragged his feet as he headed for the pantry to get a garbage bag.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Peter had finished cleaning everything and was halfway through vacuuming when his cell phone started ringing in his pocket. Pulling it out he saw that it was Mr. Stark calling, and he quickly shut off the machine to answer it. "Hello?"

  
  


"Hey kiddo, apparently there's a disturbance in Central Park that needs Iron Man's attention--”

  
  


"I can help! I just need to suit up and I'll--”

  
  


"Pete, relax, it's nothing major, a one-man job. Besides, I'm pretty sure Aunt Hottie benched Spider-Man."

  
  


Peter deflated, "She told you that..."

  
  


"Believe it or not, bud, we do talk every once in a while."

  
  


"...we wouldn't have to tell her," the boy said in a tone so low Tony had to strain to hear it.

  
  


The man barked out a laugh, "Yeah, and have your aunt coming after me? No sir! Sorry kid, but you're staying back."

  
  


There was some shuffling on the other line before Tony spoke again, "Hey, I'll be gone for a while and I didn't have a chance to order any groceries yet, you think you could go to the store and pick some up for me? The list is on the counter.”

  
  


"I- yeah, I guess I could do that..."

  
  


"Sorry kiddo, I know I'm asking a lot of you today, but it would be a real big help to me."

  
  


"Sure, no problem, Mr. Stark," the boy said with more enthusiasm this time. If Tony was asking all these favours of him than the man must really need the help. He never asked for help.

  
  


"Great, and when you get back, maybe you could start making us something for dinner? I know we could get take out, but a homemade meal after a day like today sounds better, don't you think?"

  
  


"Uh, I don't really know how to cook."

  
  


"There are tons of recipe books on the shelf, you'll be fine!" the man encouraged as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

  
  


"Ya, sure... ok."

  
  


“You’re the best, kid! Have I told you that yet? Well, gotta run, bye.”

  
  


The phone went dead and Peter pulled it away from his ear slowly. This day kept getting weirder and weirder.

  
  


_Guess I better decide what to cook,_ he thought miserably, turning toward the kitchen he had just finished cleaning. _Why is it that we clean things if we’re just going to mess them up again?_

  
  


After twenty minutes of flipping through recipes, and a frantic text chain with Ned, Peter finally settled on semi-simple beef tacos that Ned suggested from a Hello Fresh order his family had tried a few weeks before. Receiving the text with the picture of the recipe and ingredient list, the exhausted teen left the apartment to retrieve what he would need.

  
  


The grocery store was crowded, the walk home was hot, and he had needed to substitute an out of stock seasoning for one he wasn’t even sure would do the same job, but finally, he had made it back to the penthouse and was ready to start.

  
  


The recipe had promised to take thirty-five minutes from start to finish, but there was a lot of vegetable cutting in the process and Peter’s skills with a knife were nothing compared to his web-slinging... it was hard okay!? Still, he managed the task without losing a finger, and he was able to start the meat up before texting Tony to ask if he was almost back.

  
  


_Sorry kid, mission ran longer than anticipated. Still cleaning up here. Going to need to rain check that supper._ _I’ll try to be back before you_ _go to bed_ _._

  
  


Peter huffed out in disbelief. Was he serious!?

  
  


_I just spent over two hours getting the stupid ingredients and making this because you asked me to._

  
  


He wasn’t usually so rude with his mentor, but he was exhausted. He had spent the entire day getting Mr. Stark’s chores done and now he wasn’t even going to be back to spend any amount of time with him.

  
  


_I said I was sorry._

  
  


Peter read the short reply and shook his head in annoyance. The older man had even stuck a shrugging emoji at the end of the sentence. He should have never shown him how to use those!

  
  


“This is ridiculous!” Peter spoke angrily to the empty room, throwing his spatula down, little pieces of meet flying onto the counter, “I might as well just go home.”

  
  


“I’m sorry you feel that way, bud.”

  
  


Peter jumped six feet at the startling voice, turning wide-eyed to see Tony casually leaning against the door frame, phone in hand, and a smirk on his face.

  
  


“How long have you been there? I thought you were still working!”

  
  


Tony shrugged casually, “Since we started texting. Quite the tantrum you threw.”

  
  


Peter scoffed, “It wasn’t a tantrum! But I put a lot of work into this meal and you said you weren’t even going to be here to eat it.”

  
  


“Kind of sucks having to do all the work yourself and not getting any respect in return, huh?”

  
  


Peter nodded, “Yes! I’m exhausted, I did your laundry, I cleaned for you, I grocery shopped and cooked! I-- Oh.”

  
  


“Have a thought?”

  
  


“Did you just spend the whole day trying to teach me a lesson?”

  
  


Another shrug and amused smile, “You tell me Spider-Kid, did you learn any lesson today?”

  
  


Peter threw his head in his hands, resting his elbows on the counter, “Tooooony, that’s SO uncool.”

  
  


Tony rounded in on him now, leaning his own elbows down across the counter to be eye level with the teen, “As uncool as leaving every single chore to your aunt and not even giving her the respect to come home at the time she asks you to?”

  
  


“Okaaay, Okay, I get it. I was being a jerk,” he let out a long sigh. “Aunt May probably hates me.”

  
  


“She could never hate you,” Tony assured, “Did you hate me today?”

  
  


“Kinda... okay, no, but I was pretty frustrated.”

  
  


“You think maybe that’s how May was feeling last night when you two were talking?”

  
  


“I guess so,” he groaned, “I’m the biggest jerk!”

  
  


“Stop calling yourself that,” Tony ordered, wrapping his arm around the kid. “You will go back to your apartment, you will apologize, you will take her this lovely home-cooked meal you just made. Everything will be fine.”

  
  


“Thanks, Tony. I guess I needed someone to be a jerk for me to get it.”

  
  


“I prefer tough love,” Tony smirked. “If it makes you feel any better, May loved the idea.”

  
  


“Of course she would! You and her have this weird alliance going on lately! It’s weird!”

  
  


“May calls it co-parenting.”

  
  


“Well, I call it annoying!”

  
  


Tony huffed out a laugh at the kid’s expense before shoving his shoulder playfully. “Get out of here, you’ve got something to take care of.”

  
  


Peter sighed, “Yeah I do. I guess I won’t be coming here for lab day on Tuesday if I’m grounded.”

  
  


“I’ll talk to your aunt. I’m sure it’s in the unofficial co-parenting handbook that we both have visitation rights,” he joked. “Besides I’ll be sure to tell her that I’ll keep you busy cleaning out and categorizing the supply cupboards.”

  
  


“Toooony," he whined, "Never mind, I think I’d rather be stuck in the apartment.”

  
  


“Too late now, kid! See you Tuesday!”

  
  


Peter shook his head as he trudged out of the room. Who invented the term co-parenting anyway? He had a strongly worded letter headed their way.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you think Tony is doing a bang-up job mentoring/co-parenting his Spider-Kid, then hit that Kudos button and give him a comment! :)


	4. Footprints on the Ceiling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Peter may have had this discussion a time or two before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very short but hopefully fun chapter for this Friday afternoon!
> 
> I probably won't post the last two chapters until next week because I won't have wifi this weekend. 
> 
> Enjoy!!

"Kid!"

  
  


Peter's head shot out of his history textbook at the irritated voice coming from the kitchen. He quickly rolled himself off his bed, wheels in his head turning as he tried to figure out what exactly he had done to earn that particular tone of voice from his mentor.

  
  


It had been a pretty normal day overall. He had gone to school, didn’t make Happy wait at pick-up time, and had managed to finish both his reading assignment and his Math homework, before now being pulled from his History paper.

  
  


He hadn’t even attempted to join Tony in the lab before finishing his homework. That was one of Tony and Aunt May’s major rules when agreeing to this arrangement and Peter thought he had been pretty good at keeping his end of the deal if he did say so himself.

  
  


So, no matter how hard he racked his brain, nothing about his activities from the past few days brought the boy any clarity on what the issue could be.

  
  


Clarity, however, came quite quickly once he turned the corner and came face to face with the man, dried clumps of dirt fallen messily over his head and onto the floor.

  
  


They may or may not have had this particular discussion a few too many times before.

  
  


"Yes, Tony?" He was trying to stay stoic, he really was, but the look on Tony's face was pretty funny had it not been directed at him.

  
  


"Care to refresh my memory on the 'shoes in the house' rule that we have in place here?"

  
  


The teenager's shoulders slumped guiltily, looking to the floor only to notice his still muddy shoes leading a path back to his room.

  
  


"Oh yeah, that..."

  
  


"Yeah, that." Tony echoed, "There are footprints on the ceiling again, Pete!"

  
  


"You know I lose track of what's floor and what's ceiling when I'm reading, Tony. Really, you should be proud of me for getting my reading assignment done!" he pointed out as if that made all the difference.

  
  


"I still don't know why you feel the need to walk and read at the same time..."

  
  


"How else am I going to get my 10,000 steps!"

  
  


"Ugh! That's not the point!" Tony exclaimed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "There's dried mud in my hair, kid. How many times do I have to tell you, shoes off at the door!?"

  
  


Peter took a moment to contemplate his answer before choosing to be honest.

  
  


"I guess one more time?"

  
  


He got a hard look for that.

  
  


"Pepper's not going to be pleased with you," Tony pointed out, moving to walk away.

  
  


The boy's eyes went wide, as he frantically followed.

  
  


"No wait, she won't know because I'm going to clean it up!"

  
  


"You bet your ass you are!" The man nodded firmly, whipping around.

  
  


If Peter truly believed in comedic timing the next moment was the perfect example. He would have laughed as another mound of dirt chose that moment to fall directly on Tony's forehead, rolling off and landing on his shoe. Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly in the best position to appreciate the moment, so instead, he cringed.

  
  


"Is the mop still in the broom closet?" He asked meekly.

  
  


"Yep and the bucket and rags are in the laundry room. I'd start with the ceiling if I were you. I'm going to shower."

  
  


Both turned to tend to their tasks, but they didn’t get very far as FRIDAY stopped them in their tracks, cheerfully announcing the arrival of Miss Potts.

  
  


"Footprints on the ceiling AGAIN!?"

  
  


Peter cringed hard and Tony turned to him with an unhelpful grin, "Good luck with that one, bud."

  
  


He continued to smirk, turning back towards the bathroom, leaving Peter alone to deal with his second lecture of the evening.

  
  


He toed off his shoes, placing them in the closet before slinking over to meet his doom.

  
  


Maybe Pepper would appreciate the point about the completion of his reading assignment more than Tony had... he could hold onto that small piece of hope at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I the only one who reads while getting my 10,000 steps? 😂 People tell me it's odd so maybe I am... 
> 
> Let me know if you enjoyed it!


	5. Self-Deprecating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a reason Peter never has pocket change anymore, and it's largely due to a very annoying rule Tony has put in place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with the second to last chapter! I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Peter dug through his pocket and sighed when he came up empty-handed. He grumbled to himself, putting the gummy worms back on the shelf and leaving the store frustrated and mildly hungry.

He walked the few blocks he had left to the tower and waited patiently as FRIDAY rode him up to the lab where he knew he would find Tony.

“Gummy worms! All I wanted was a measly bag of gummy worms!”

“Hello to you too,” Tony turned, greeting the boy with a smirk.

“I just wanted gummy worms,” Peter reiterated once more, glare on his face, but not managing to look any more menacing than a puppy.

“And you know what to do in order to be able to get those gummy worms,” Tony nodded, turning back to his project and resuming his tinkering.

“But every time I come here, you find a reason! You know I can’t help it. Dumb things always come out of my mouth because I’m dumb and I don’t think!”

“Peter,” Tony warned, wriggling his eyebrows.

“THAT doesn’t count!” the boy all but stomped his foot.

“Sure sounded like it.”

“Come ON, Tony! You know I don’t even have any money because I just told you I didn’t! And for the record, five dollars is way too much each time!”

“Yeah? Well, the fun part is you don’t get to decide! It’s gotta hurt, sorry kid. Now be a good little intern and go oil the machinery over there. If you work it off today, I’ll put the five bucks in there for you.”

“UGH, fine.”

He really couldn’t help it, it was something a lot of people did without thinking. That’s why two days later when he was working on a prototype and his screwdriver slipped, knocking over everything to the right of his arm, his mumbled, _“Ugh stop being such a klutz, Peter!”_ had Tony right on his tail.

“Jar,” was all the older man said, holding out the glass jar.

The boy sighed hotly as he dug through his pocket and threw five dollars worth of coins inside the dumb jar.

“Just a few things got knocked over and the screwdriver slips on me all the time too. It’s no big deal,” Tony offered before heading back to his own desk.

The annoyance washed away as quickly as it came and Peter knew Tony was right. Suddenly he felt ridiculous for getting so upset.

A few weeks later Peter entered the penthouse and Tony could tell right away that something was wrong.

“What’s up, kiddo? You and Ted lose the final piece of the Lego set or something?”

“No,” he grumbled, “I decided to patrol a bit on the way over here and I noticed a little girl had lost her balloon. So I swung up to get it for her and instead I accidentally popped it. She started crying and when her mom came out of the store she glared at me and pulled the girl away, so I couldn’t even make it up to her! How can I be a superhero when I can’t even save a freakin’ balloon!? Everybody just saw that Spider-Man is nothing but an embarrassment!”

“Excuse me?” Tony stood in astonishment, “Spider-Man? An embarrassment?” Tell me, Pete, who chased down a mugger the night before last, catching him six blocks away and returning the ladies purse with the only picture she had of her late husband in the wallet? Huh? Who saved that little boy when he ran headfirst into traffic two weeks ago? Do you think either of those people thought Spider-Man was an embarrassment then?”

“No,” Peter sighed, “That boy’s mom thanked me like five hundred times.”

“Because of you, she was still able to tuck her son into bed that night,” Tony pointed out. “You still think popping one balloon means that Spider-Man is suddenly a failure?”

“No,” he ran a hand through his sweaty hair, “Now it just sounds dumb.”

“It does sound dumb, very much so. And let me reiterate, the words sound dumb, you yourself are not.”

“I know.”

“Now, kid, I believe you owe the jar five dollars because we both know Spider-Man will never be an embarrassment.”

“Come on, really?” the boy complained.

“Yep,” Tony assured, popping the P, “This was a doozy.”

“What do you even do with all this money? You’re a billionaire, you definitely don’t need my pocket change.”

“No, I do not,” Tony agreed.

“So?” Peter questioned further.

“FRIDAY, dear? Please give me the running tally for the ‘Peter Parker, Self Deprecating jar?”

“With today’s five dollars the total amount since the start of the jar three hundred and six days ago is $415.”

“I’ve given you four hundred and fifteen dollars!!??” Peter’s eyes went wide.

Tony only shrugged, an amused look dancing in his eyes, “I may have donated a bit to the cause.”

“What, why are _you_ putting money in? I mean if you put yourself down too, then you should, I guess, otherwise, you’d be a hypocrite, right? But I’ve never been here to catch you doing it, so maybe--”

His rambling was cut off by the wave of a hand from Tony.

“FRIDAY? Can you tell me exactly what that money is being used for?” The man requested the AI.

“The Peter Parker, Self Deprecating jar is being held in an account entitled ‘Spider-Kid Needs a Future’. The funds will be available to Peter Parker when he turns eighteen.”

Tony turned to Peter with a soft smile.

“You’re giving the money back to me?” the boy asked a hint of amusement in his voice.

Tony shrugged, “I figured it might be tough for you and May to have much of a savings account for you right now. You don’t have to worry about college because I’m taking care of that--”

“Tony you don’t--”

“I will be taking care of that Pete, end of discussion. But, you will need things. It’s good to have. Kid, this is my way of showing you what can happen if you take that negativity and turn it into something positive. I don’t have a doubt in my mind that you’re going to do amazing things, but there’s no point in me believing that if you won’t believe in yourself. You’re an incredible kid. So all this self-deprecating crap you do is unnecessary. That’s what I’m trying to drill into that thick skull of yours, get it?”

Peter nodded, feeling warm and cared for and a bit guilty. “I got it, I’ll try harder.”

“That’s all I ask,” Tony nodded with finality.

“Tony?”

“Yeah, kid?”

“Thanks for believing in me,” Peter said, wrapping his arms around the man’s middle, Tony reciprocating the gesture.

“You make it pretty easy, Spider-Kid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Donate to the Spider-Kid Needs a Future cause by commenting down below :)
> 
> And there we have it!
> 
> Up next, the one thing that Peter will never get in trouble for...


	6. Saying I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Words get said, people freak out, discussions are had <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the final chapter!! Thanks to everyone who read, kudos, bookmarked, and commented on this fic. I really appreciated every bit of feedback and it helped me feel more confident about posting in this fandom for the first time!
> 
> Enjoy the last chapter!! Fun Fact: It came to be because I saw a prompt in a writing book I have. The prompt was 'And when I confronted him, he denied everything..."

"I don't need to bring a winter parka, Tony! It's only three weeks!"

  
  


"Yeah well you have that thermoregulating issue, you never know when you might need it."

  
  


"I'm pretty sure I'll be fine with just a hoodie if I get cold. It's the middle of summer, and we've been in a heatwave for two weeks. You need to chill."

  
  


"It's _you_ I'm worried about being chilled, kid, that's why I wanted you to bring the parka, remember?"

  
  


"Har har, you're so funny," Peter rolled his eyes, "You’d better be careful, Tony, you're getting into 'dad joke' territory now."

  
  


"Aw you think of me as a dad, how cute," Tony gushed in a ridiculously obnoxious voice. Really though, his heart was beating, because it DID sound like that was exactly what the boy was implying and hell, when did they get _there_?

  
  


"Well with the gray hair and need for _reading glasses_ maybe I misspoke. Sorry _Grandpa_ ," he teased with a cheeky grin.

  
  


A gentle cuff to the head made Peter dramatically fall onto his mattress. "Wow, if you _were_ my dad I'd be reporting you for child abuse. Hitting me _and_ bad jokes? _"_

  
  


Tony shook his head fondly at the antics he was becoming so familiar with, which was another thing that suddenly struck him. Since when was the boy so comfortable being this mouthy with him? He could vividly remember a time when Peter would come into the workshop after school and barely touch a thing, let along be this playful. Now, look at them. Tony standing in the middle of Peter's tiny apartment bedroom, getting the boy ready to spend three weeks with him and Pepper in the tower penthouse while May was being shipped out on a relief program overseas. The shift in dynamic was crazy.

  
  


“You got everything? We’re going to be late getting you to school if we don’t hurry up.”

  
  


“I could have gotten to school fine by myself, you know. I woke up when Aunt May left anyway, so I wouldn’t have slept in.”

  
  


“Just humour an old man, would ya? Besides, this way I can take all your stuff ahead to the tower, and we won’t have to come back for it later.”

  
  


“I could have brought it to school with me if you didn’t insist on things like a _parka._ ”

  
  


Tony shook his head, “We’re still on that, huh? Grab your stuff! I’ll meet you in the car.”

  
  


Twenty minutes later, Tony pulled his car up to the drop off zone and Peter unbuckled. “Thanks for driving me.”

  
  


“No sweat, kiddo, I’ll see you after school. Have a good day.”

  
  


“Thanks, you too, love you.”

  
  


The door closed between them before either one registered what had just been said. Peter stood in place for a second as Tony worked to get his heart to start pumping regularly. After the initial shock wore off, Tony rolled down the window, but before he could say the boy’s name, Peter rushed off, waving to Ned across the yard.

* * *

  
  


Tony spent the rest of his days with those words replaying in his head. They had caught him off guard, but the more time he had spent mulling them over, the more he was getting comfortable with the proclamation. He was actually quite proud of himself for not immediately freaking out and jumping into self-deprecating thoughts. The kid, his kid, had said he loved him and it wasn’t scary or overwhelming. It just felt right.

  
  


By the time the school day was over, and he was waiting for Peter to come out of the building, he had psyched himself up for the talk he was preparing to have with the boy on the very subject.

  
  


Soon the rush of kids were exiting the building and it didn’t take long for Peter to open the car door. He slid in silently.

  
  


“Hey, kiddo, how was your day?”

  
  


“Fine-- good, it was good. Sorry Tony, do you mind if I read my book on the ride back to the tower? I need to be finished by tomorrow.”

  
  


That threw Tony off. Usually, the kid was practically vibrating to talk about every part of his day on the way home from school. “Oh, sure Pete, that’s fine.”

  
  


And so they drove in silence. Peter turning a page every so often and Tony’s brain once again running a mile a minute.

  
  


By the time they pulled into the underground parking garage, he decided to try once more.

  
  


“Look, kid, about this morning--”

  
  


“What about it?” Peter quickly cut off, avoiding eye contact all the while.

  
  


“What you said, you know, saying you loved me.”

  
  


“I never said that.”

  
  


“What?”

  
  


“I don’t know where you got that from, but I never said that. I’m going to go up to my room and finish reading this, okay?

  
  


His reply fell on deaf ears as the door was closed in his face and for what felt like the millionth time that day, Tony sat dumbfounded.

* * *

  
  


“When I confronted him, he denied he ever said it.”

“Maybe he was just embarrassed. You don’t exactly go around proclaiming your love to the kid every day either, Tones, he probably thought he overstepped.”

“How could he think that. I made him a bedroom in my private quarters. I feed him super-sized Spidey meals whenever he is over. Hell, I’m his second emergency contact, I pick him up from school when he’s sick, Rhodey! How could he believe that telling me he loved me was overstepping?”

Rhodey watched his friend frazzled, kneading his temples in frustration, and he felt for him. There was no denying that his best friend had a soft spot for the kid, and that was putting it lightly. They had been mistaken for father and son on countless occasions, and though they were always quick to deny, it was obvious the accusation never really bothered either of them.

Rhodey himself was confused the first time he entered Tony’s penthouse, and he caught sight of a young boy sitting on the couch eating Cocoa Puffs while cartoons played quietly from the TV. Even more so when he entered the kitchen to a, dare he say, gleeful Tony, humming to himself as he pulled muffins out of the oven while reading over school forms on the counter.

That was the first time Rhodey had witnessed first hand a “May is out of town and I have to watch the kid” weekend and from then on the scene became as natural as it used to be walking in on Tony escorting a female friend out of his apartment the morning after a night out.

Rhodes had to admit he preferred this Tony. Watching the man fill a fatherly role was something he never thought he’d see, and it looked good on him. He still found himself just watching the two when he was inevitably the third wheel on a ‘Peter Weekend.’ They cared about each other; it was plain as day. Mushy words were never needed in their relationship because it was just a given.

That’s why when Tony showed up on the common floor twenty minutes ago and started ranting about the kid saying I love you on his way out of the car that morning, and later denying everything, Rhodey was a bit perplexed.

“Tell him that, Tones. Obviously you need to be more open with one another if a simple slip of words is causing you both so much stress. And if he said it, I bet it’s something he’s been thinking about for a while.”

The younger man sighed, “I know it’s a discussion we need to have. I just hope he’ll even talk to me. When I picked him up this afternoon, he could barely even look at me.”

“He doesn’t need to talk right away, as long as he listens,” Rhodey encouraged. He knew the boy hung on to every word his mentor said, there was no way he would be able to carry on ignoring him for too long.

“Fine,” Tony agreed reluctantly, “but if this all backfires, I’m blaming you!”

“I would expect nothing less,” he replied as the billionaire left the room in search of his not-son.

* * *

Tony paused in front of his kid’s closed door. He was nervous. What if he pushed too hard and the kid never talked to him again? Though, if he didn’t bring it up the kid may very well never talk to him again anyway. With that thought, he brought his fist to the door and knocked softly.

“Yeah?”

He cracked the door open slightly and poked his head through. “Can I come in for a minute?”

Peter nodded from where he was sat on his bed. His book had been discarded onto his side table, and he held his phone in his hands instead. Looks like Tony hadn’t been the only one who had run to his best friend for support.

“We really need to talk, Kiddo, and I know you might not want to, but that’s fine, all I need you to do is listen.”

Peter’s head hung low as he picked at a loose string on his shorts, but he didn’t say a word, so Tony took that as his cue to continue.

“First of all, I’m not and was never mad or upset at you for what you said this morning.”

Brown eyes peeked over the floppy fringe of hair, but still, no words escaped the teen’s mouth.

“I’m not sure if that was a concern of yours, but it’s the furthest from the truth. Do you see this room right here? Do you know why I gave it to you?”

“So I could sleepover when we work too late in the lab,” the boy finally spoke matter-of-factly.

Tony gave a soft smile, “That may have been my practical reason, but it wasn’t my main one. It was because I love you. I love you and I want to spend time with you. I want you here, Kid.”

“Do you know why May put me as your second emergency contact at school?”

“Because she needed someone to be able to come get me if she couldn’t.”

“Yeah, and because I asked her, Pete. I wanted that privilege. I hated the thought that you could be at school one day and need me, but I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it because I wasn’t on that list. You know why that is? Because I love you.”

“Do you know why I force you to make decisions, or get on you about wearing your shoes in the house, or act in sneaky ways to try and teach you a lesson? Why I hate hearing you put yourself down or get upset you when you mess with tech I give you to keep you safe? It’s all because I love you, Kid, and I want you to be the best person you can possibly be.”

“I’m sorry I don’t share my feelings with words very often, I’m still learning that particular skill set. But you, and Pepper, you guys are teaching me and I promise I will get better at it. Do you think we can learn that together?”

Tony paused his rant to wipe at the tears now streaming down his kid’s face, “Pete?”

Peter gave a shaky nod, head collapsing into the man’s shoulder and Tony wrapped his arms around the shaking frame.

“Are you sure you’re not just saying that to make me feel better?” Peter spoke softly when he finally calmed down.

The words caused Tony to smile, “Seriously? I just poured my heart out to you in a way I have never done to anyone aside from Pepper and you’re asking if I made it all up just so you felt better? Jeez, Kid! You really are something else!”

The boy laughed wetly, “I was just so sure you’d be mad when I left this morning, I--”

“Let me just stop you right there,” Tony interrupted, holding his hand up, “I may get upset with you about certain things, Bud, but I can promise you, saying ‘I love you’ will never, _never_ be one of them, got that?”

Peter nodded shyly.

Tony returned the nod, “Good. Now that we’ve got all that sorted, how about we move this love fest to the living room. Pepper will still be a few hours and I bet we can cram in quite a bit of junk food before she returns, sound good?”

Peter laughed in agreement and headed out in search of the required items.

Tony watched him go and smiled in contentment. This kid had somehow stumbled his way into his life and managed to knock down every barrier Tony had worked years to build up. Yet all this time, he had no clue that in reality, his heart was always missing a piece, and that Spider-Kid shaped hole would always belong to Peter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you for all your feedback!! I really enjoyed writing this fic! Let me know if you enjoyed this final chapter!
> 
> I'll be posting more fics, so check out my page if you're interested, there's a Father's Day one already posted!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Feedback is greatly appreciated!!


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